Xu made the remarks after The Age reported that the 1.98-metre Sun tried to disrupt Horton’s session by splashing water at him as the pair came together before they are set to meet in the 400m freestyle.

Chinese media was outraged at the accusations, with one outlet obtaining video footage showing how Sun got along with other Australian swimmers well having casual conversations with each other on a coach.

“The ultimate winner [of the accusations] will be the Australian swimming team,” one report said.

Sun is no stranger to this type of controversy and most recently was cleared of wrongdoing after a similar poolside altercation with a Brazilian female competitor during a warm-up session on the last day of the world championships in Kazan.